Literary cookbooks

Do you love food? Do you love to read? If so you might just love literary cookbooks too. Here are a few of my favorites:

Cherry Cake and Ginger Beer by Jane Brocket.

I don’t know about you but the food scenes in books always make me hungry. This book lets you actually cook the recipes from the books you loved growing up. You can bring back memories of that favorite book by cooking a treat right out of it. Everything from Marilla’s raspberry cordial (the non-alcoholic version) to Turkish delight straight out of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is included. Indulge your love of children’s literature and your love of food…

“This nostalgic cookery book takes you back to the children's books of yesteryear - for example, Enid Blyton, Pippi Longstocking, 'What Katy Did' - and shows how to cook the feel-good foods that feature so strongly in them.” discover

Voracious : a hungry reader cooks her way through great books by Cara Nicoletti

I love the combination of memoir and cookbook that Cara has created. Even without the recipes it would be an entertaining read. With the recipes it is even better. After reading the Hansel and Gretel section all I wanted to do was go home to make myself some gingerbread while reading Grimm’s Hansel and Gretel.

"As a young bookworm reading in her grandfather's butcher shop, Cara Nicoletti saw how books and food bring people to life. Now a butcher, cook, and talented writer, she serves up stories and recipes inspired by beloved books and the food that gives their characters depth and personality. From the breakfast sausage in Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House in the Big Woods to chocolate cupcakes with peppermint buttercream from Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections, these books and the tasty treats in them put her on the road to happiness. Cooking through the books that changed her life, Nicoletti shares fifty recipes." publisher

Tequila Mockingbird : cocktails with a literary twist by Tim Federle

This book is so much fun and would add a little zing to any book club meeting. Reading Gone with the Wind? Mix up a pitcher of “Gone with the wine”. Every drink in this cocktail guide is inspired by literature. My favorite part of this book is the humorous explanations before each recipe.

"You fought through War and Peace, burned through Fahrenheit 451, and sailed through Moby-Dick. All right, you nearly drowned in Moby-Dick, but you made it to shore -- and you deserve a drink! The ultimate cocktail book for the literary obsessed. Featuring 65 delicious drink recipes -- paired with wry commentary on history's most beloved novels -- the book also includes bar bites, drinking games, and whimsical illustrations throughout.” publisher

Interested in a few more suggestions? You could try:

A Feast of Ice and Fire : the official companion cookbook by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel
The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook : from cauldron cakes to knickerbocker glory--more than 150 magical recipes for wizards and non-wizards alike by Dinah Bucholz.
The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook edited by Kate White.